Rock Island daily Argus., 1887-11-05

There was time when a man in search of
the pleasures Of gossip sought the society of
ladies' The man knows better now. He goes
to the smoking room of his club.
DR.. Wybrow lighted his cigar and looked
round him at his brethren in social conclaye
assembled. The room was well filed, but the
flow of talk was still languid Tie doctor
innocenty applied the stimulHnt that was
wanted. When he inquired if anybody knew :
the Countess Narona he was answered by
something like a shout of astonishment.
Never THE conclave agreed had such an alb
surd question been asked beforeI Every
human creature, with the slightest claim to a
place in society, knew the Countess Narona.
An adventures with a European reputation
of the blacklist possible color-such was the
general description of the woman with the
death like complexion and the glittering ewes.
Descending to particulars, each member of
the club contributed his own little stock of
scandal to the memoirs of the countess 1t
was doubtful whether she was really what
she called herself, Dalmatian lady. Ii was
doubtful whether she had ever been married
to the count whose widow she assumed to be.
1t was doubtful whether the man who ac-
companied her in her travels tunder the name
Of Baron Rivar, and in the character of her
brotherl was her brother at all Report
pointed TO the baron as a gambler at every
"table" on the continent. Report whispered
that his so called sister had narrowly escaped
being implicated in a famous trial for poison
ing at Vienna-that she had been known al
a spy in the interest of Austria-that her
apartment" in Paris had been denounced to
the police as nothing less than private gam
bling house-and that her present appearance
in England was the natural result of that
discovery. Only one member Of the assem-
bly, in the smoking room took the part of this
much abused woman and declared that her
character had been most cruelty and most
unjustly assaied. But as the man was a
lawyer, his interference went for nothing IL
was naturally attributed to the spirit of con-
tradiction inherent in his profession He was
asked derisively what he thought of the cir
cumstances under which the countess had be-
come engaged TO be married, and he made
the characteristic answer, that he thought
the circumstances highly creditable to both
parties, and that he looked on the latiys fu
ture husband as a most enviahle man
Hearing this the doctor raised another
shout of astonishment by inquiring the name
of the gentleman whom the countess wss
about to marry.
His friends in the smoking room decided
unanimously that the celebrated physician
must be a second rip Van Winkle," and
that he had Just awakened from super-
natural sleep of twenty years 1t was all very
well to say that he was devoted to his profes-
sion, and that he had neither time nor ineli-
nation to pick up fragments Of gossip at din
ner parties and balls. man who did not
know that the Countess Narona had borrowed
money at Homburg of no less person than
Lord Montbarry, and had then deluded him
into making her a proposal of marriage, was
man who had probably never heard of Lord
Montbarry himself. The younger members
Of the club, humoring the joke, sent waiter
for The Peerage. and read aloud the memoir
of the nobleman in question, for the doctors
benefit-with illustrative rnorses OF inforna-
tion interpolated by themselves.
Herbert John Westwick First Baron
Montbari-y. of Montbarry, Kings county.